1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head provided with a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric layer containing a piezoelectric material and electrodes and ejects liquid droplets from nozzle openings, a liquid ejecting apparatus, a piezoelectric element, and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Related Art
Mentioned as a typical example of the liquid ejecting head is, for example, an ink jet recording head in which a part of pressure generating chambers communicating with nozzles which eject ink droplets is constituted by a diaphragm, and the diaphragm is transformed by a piezoelectric element to pressurize ink in the pressure generating chambers, whereby the ink is ejected from the nozzle openings in the form of ink droplets. Mentioned as the piezoelectric element for use in the ink jet recording head is one in which a piezoelectric layer (piezoelectric film) containing a piezoelectric material which exhibits an electromechanical conversion function, e.g., a crystallized dielectric material, is placed between two electrodes.
The piezoelectric material used as the piezoelectric layer constituting such a piezoelectric element has been required to have high piezoelectric properties, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is mentioned as a typical example of the piezoelectric material (JP-A-2001-223404). However, a piezoelectric material in which lead is not contained or the lead content is reduced has been demanded from the viewpoint of environmental problems. Mentioned as piezoelectric materials not containing lead are BiFeO3 piezoelectric materials containing Bi and Fe, for example (e.g., JP-A-2007-287745).
However, the piezoelectric layer containing such a BiFeO3-based piezoelectric material has a problem such that cracking is likely to occur during manufacturing and after the passage of a predetermined time after manufacturing. Such a problem is not limited to the ink jet recording head. It is a matter of course that such a problem similarly arises in other liquid ejecting heads which eject liquid droplets other than ink and similarly arises in piezoelectric elements for use in substances other than liquid ejecting heads.